Auditory-perceptual and acoustic analysis of voices of HIV-infected children.

Mara Behlau,Cristina de Oliveira Rodrigues,Eliane Cristina Pereira,Glaucya Madazio,Kelly Cristina Alves Silvério

doi:10.1590/2317-1782/201720170022

Mara Behlau, Cristina de Oliveira Rodrigues

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/201720170022

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Abstract

To compare vocal and acoustic parameters of HIV-infected children and non-HIV-infected children. Vocal samples were submitted to auditory-perceptual and acoustic analysis. Samples of the sustained vowel /ε/ and continuous speech of 74 children between 6 and incomplete 12 years old were analyzed, divided into two groups: 37 HIV-infected children (GHIV) and 37 non-HIV-infected children, the control group (CG), age and gender-matched and without previous vocal evaluation; they were all prepubescent by the Tanner Stages (MS, 2014). The children had their voices recorded and analyzed by VoxMetria 5.1, in the period between 2014 and 2015. The auditory-perceptual analysis assessed the overall degree of the vocal quality and was performed using a 100-point visual analogue scale, transformed into a 4 point numerical scale (0 = no vocal deviation and 4 = severe vocal deviation). The acoustic evaluation was based on the analysis of the vocal sample distribution in the Phonatory Deviation Diagram (PDD). The research was approved by the Ethics Committee under the number 122.746. In the auditory-perceptual analysis, most children of both groups were evaluated as with no vocal deviation. No difference between the groups was found in the acoustic analysis using the PDD; most voice samples were within the normality area, in the quadrant 1, with a spread density distribution and a vertical shape. HIV-infected children presented similar vocal quality to children without the illness, both for the perceptual-auditory and acoustic evaluation.

Highlights

The epidemic of the HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is still one of the world’s biggest public health problems[1]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classification system showed that most HIV group (HIVG) children had clinical categories with moderate or severe signs/symptoms at the most critical moment of their life’s and moderate or severe suppression for the immunologic categories
No differences were found on the outcomes of the Phonatory Deviation Diagram (PDD), most voices were within the normality area and most voices presented a spread density, a vertical shape and were located at the quadrant 1 (Table 3)

Summary

Introduction

The epidemic of the HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is still one of the world’s biggest public health problems[1]. Many studies regarding this disease’s behavior in people of different ages have been performed due to its high mortality; especially regarding the epidemic of the HIV/AIDS in the childhood[2]. The HIV is a virus that infects cells of the immune system, especially CD4+ T lymphocytes. Due to the increasing survival rates and the reduction of opportunistic infections, matters such as health promotion and guaranteeing a better quality of life for children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS have gain great importance[5]

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